Blog Posts

the LEGEND of Will Allen

10/14/2020

Before being adopted by James H. Allen, (the first Presbyterian Methodist Minister in Alabama), Will was known as William Hellings. He was born in Bristol, England.
His father was deceased and his stepfather, Hellings, worked on the docks as a “Lumper” (unloading of ships.) His stepfather was reported to be a mean sort, drinking and mean to his wife. This is probably why Will chose to run away.
According to the Nautical School for Naughty Boys, William repeatedly ran away. William was charged with “wandering” and was   assigned at the age of 11, on October 16, 1884 to the Nautical School for Naughty Boys which was a docked ship the Formidable in Bristol England.
In the school log he is described having “a height, without shoes, 4 feet, 1 inches, eyes -hazel, hair- light, chest measured 23 ½ inches and he had a mole on his right hip. He was a bright little boy who didn’t have fits.”

He left the detention school on July 12, 1889 at the age of sixteen.   He signed on to the ship Souvenir as an ordinary seaman for a wage of 25 shillings per month. Captain Collis and his crew were bound for “Buenos Ayres” but had a stopover in Mobile.

William jumped ship in Mobile and lived on the streets of Mobile until Rev. James H. Allen found him and adopted him bringing him home to Allentown. His name was changed to Will Allen. Will was married to Irene Snow. He and his wife are buried in Allentown Cemetery.

Personal Note: As a child my father took me to visit Will and Irene Allen. They lived in a large two story clap board unpainted house. The house was located on Snow Road a short distance from Wulff Road and before you get to Howells Ferry Road. The house is long gone; the land has trees on it where the house stood.
A fond memory was seeing the large size of the kitchen, which was the center of activity of the home, and the fact that there was a hand pump by the sink so you did not have to go outside to pump water to carry in.

Mobile Register April 6, 1997 “Unraveling the English Will Mystery,” by Jay Grelen

200 ALabama BICENTENNIAL Plaque

10/7/2020

On April 22,2020 the 200 ALABAMA Bicentennial Commission notified Semmes Heritage Park , Semmes Heritage Day was being recognized with a Bronze Commendation plaque for its outstanding participation in the 200 Alabama Bicentennial Celebration. Due to manufacturing difficulties, COVID-19, the plaque was not received until September, 2020.
On September 19, 2020 Semmes Heritage Park held an open House celebration in honor of receiving the Commendation Award. The plaque is mounted to the school house.
Sen. Arthur Orr, Alabama Bicentennial Commission chairman said, “Communities invested time and resources in an amazing range of Projects. Our successful bicentennial celebration owes a real debt to their effort especially for projects that will be important to the state, its communities and its citizens for a long time to come.”
Awards were given in two categories: Commendations Awards, (forty-one for outstanding bicentennial programs and projects) and Legacy Awards (twenty-one for projects of exceptional and lasting impact.
The awards represented every region of the state and ranged from small towns to major metros, including Birmingham, Montgomery and Huntsville. Each winning project received a bronze plaque noting the name of the project and its award. The plaque is a public reminder of the achievements of the Alabama communities during the bicentennial commemoration.

The Mayor of Semmes, David Baker, issued a proclamation from the City of Semmes, proclaiming September 19,2020 as Semmes Heritage Park Day. Receiving the proclamations is Semmes Heritage Park President, Carolyn Owens.

allentown Settlement

9/6/2020

Early Pioneer families often migrated together to establish new settlements. These Early Settlements were often called by the family name. Allentown was named after the Allen Family and had a church, school, blacksmith shop, store, and cemetery. The Allentown Cemetery remains and is used today. The Bureau of Land Management records indicate that James M. Allen bought 163.75 acres and James G. Allen bought 160.05 acres for cash on April 24, 1820 in Mobile County, which became Allentown. Allentown was located near the area of Wulff Road and Howells Ferry Road.

Reverend James H. Allen was born on Nov. 1, 1811 in South Carolina. He was the first Presbyterian Methodist Minister in Alabama. He married Lenora Maples, a native of Washington County. He died on December 22, 1893. Lenora died in 1903. Both are buried in Allentown Cemetery. (Source-Deep South Genealogical Quarterly Vo. 22 in 1985)

Perry W. Allen was born on April 28, 1841 and died January 10, 1911 in Allentown. He was a Private in the Confederate Army, CSA 21st Alabama Volunteer. He fought in the Battle of Corinth and Farmington and the siege of Fort Morgan. When the fort fell, he was taken as a prisoner to New Orleans where he was kept for two months and then sent to Elmira for nine months. He was paroled and sent home June 15, 1865. After the war he married Temple Melinda Pierce. He homesteaded property at the corner of Howell’s Ferry and Wulff Rd and established a grocery store, and a blacksmith shop (wagon yard). Their home was a stopover place for weary travelers. He was a loyal church member for fifty years and was buried in his confederate gray in Allentown Cemetery. (Source- First “Scrapbook of Memories” 1997).

Henry Warren Allen (1874-1953) married Harriet Georgia Lowery (1897-1944). He homesteaded land across from his father, Perry W. Allen. Some of the Teachers who taught at Allentown school and boarded in their home were Josephine Schmitz, Eugenie Van Aller, Helen Gill, William Fagerstrom, Katie Curry and Essie Williams. Henry and Harriet are buried in Allentown Cemetery.

On May 20, 1862, James B. Allen, homesteaded 168.62 Acres: James H. Allen, 80.8 acres; Sarah M. Whiting, and James H. Allen, 161.19 acres.

Allen’s born in Allentown

Alfred E. Allen -Sept. 3, 1839
Melissa Allen- Aug. 18, 1847
Nathan James Allen- Feb. 14, 1853
John E. Allen-Sept, 9, 1832
Mary Allen Aug. 1, 1834
Lily Allen Oct. 16, 1837
Eleanor Francis Allen-Jan. 31, 1837
Elizabeth J. Allen-June 26, 1843
Sarah Margaret-Jul. 9, 1845
Perry Washington Allen, April 28, 1841- Jan 10, 1911,
Sophronia Allen Mar. 4, 1877
Henry Warren Allen-Sept 20, 1874
Ella Allen –Nov. 28, 1866
Sarah E. Allen- Nov. 27, 1866
Sebert Allen May 7, 1868
Joseph E. Allen Sep 13, 1870
Mary S. Allen- Sep 20, 1874
Nathan James Allen- Feb 14, 1853
Percy Washington Allen- May 11, 1850
Phillip Ellis Allen-May 11, 1855

Stories, Legends & History Tidbits

8/25/2020

Rosetta Howell Waltman, the daughter of Thomas Jefferson Howell, was a school teacher at the first Allentown School which was moved in 1917 to sit beside the new Semmes School Stucco Building when the schools were consolidated into one school.
Another interesting fact is that in the olden days in Alabama, women could not be married and teach. When Rosetta Howell and Forney Waltman got married, they kept it a secret till she finished teaching the year.
Another beloved teacher who taught at Semmes High School was Mary Ellen Ward. She was teaching at Wilmer School when she got married and had to stop teaching in Alabama. Mississippi did not have a law against married women teachers and she began teaching in Mississippi. When the law changed in Alabama permitting married women teachers, she returned to teach at Semmes High School. She was my high school science teacher and sponsor to the Alabama Junior Academy of Science.
When the new school was built on Howells Ferry Rd. Helen Caldwell, one of the daughters of Rosetta Howell, was asked what did she think would be a good name for the new school? Helen said, “why not name it after the first school in Allentown?” The new Allentown School was built in 1997.
There was a gentleman by the name of Mr. Zeuch who lived close to the Allentown Cemetery and the Caldwell home. According to Tom Dodd, Jr. he and the boys were coon hunting in the woods by oil lamps and began to hear music. They thought the music was coming from a radio as this was about the time electricity had come to Semmes (around 1949).
According to Helen Caldwell the mother of Charlie Caldwell, on another occasion, Charlie heard music coming from Mr. Zeuch house. He knocked on his door and ask if he might come in to listen. Mr. Zeuch asks him to come back later. When Charlie returned, Mr. Zeuch had put on his Tuxedo and gave Charlie a private concert. It turned out that Mr. Zeuch was a classical concert pianist.
Why did Semmes grow? Mobile was an important railroad city and prosperous growing seaport. The demand for lumber for shipping overseas was growing.
Ox carts were used in the forest to move loads of logs to short run rail road lines, called dummy lines. The dummy lines were used to move logs to saw mills and the main railroad line to Mobile. Wooden ships were built in Mobile. Lumber was exported around the world in wooden ships. According to family legend, some of the lumber from the Howell family was shipped to England and used in a dance floor.
Another interest citizen was Will English Allen who had jumped ship in Mobile. He was a plain spoken man. Mr. Tom Dodd, Sr. and Mr. Will had gone to Montgomery to try to get some stock laws. The legislators made the comment that the land in Semmes was so rich you don’t need stock laws. Mr. Will spoke up and said “the land is real poor. I expect we will have to put cow manure in the ground so people could rise on judgment day.”
One legend goes that there was a Mr. Dawn, who was a self appointed guardian of Semmes. He went down to the train station every day to meet the train and inspect who got off. If he did not like the way anyone looked when they got off the train he would tell them to get back on and keep on going.
There were railroad section houses near the railroad station in Semmes where maintenance railroad workers, Gandy Dancers, lived. Trains hauling heavy loads would cause the rails to come out of alignment. Gandy Dancers using Songs and chants to synchronize their movements together were able to move heavy rails back into alignment using simple hand tools.
Aunt Millie who was the custodian at Semmes school lived in a section house. She had a pet pig that she brought to the school everyday which the children loved and shared their lunch with. The pet pig was killed on the railroad tracks. Folklore passed down, is she greased the tracks to get even with the train for killing her pet pig.
The Fear of God lived in most citizens in Semmes. There was one man who did not believe in God and was very vocal about it. All the boys in Semmes were afraid of him and would run from him especially when there was a thunder storm for fear that lighting might strike him down.

Historic 1900 CHurch Bell

8/15/2020

Return of the Church Bell
The historic twelve hundred pound cast iron church bell made by the Cincinnati Bell Foundry in the late 1800’s has been returned to Malone Chapel. Malone Chapel is the replica of the 1900’s Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church located on the original site In Heritage Park. The name of the church was changed to Semmes First Baptist Church in 1904. The bell was donated to the park by Semmes First Baptist upon the completion of the Mt. Pleasant church replica.
The bell was purchased by Albert P. Funk, the owner of Semmes Funk Hotel, in 1902 for $50.00 C.O.D. and arrived in Semmes by train for Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. Miss Fellie Christopher, the railroad station agent for Semmes collected the fifty dollars.
The bell was transported by horse drawn wagon to the Mt. Pleasant Baptist church. It was installed using ropes, pulleys, men and horses to lift the bell to the belfry.
Recently, it was discovered that the bell and belfry need maintenance and repair. The removal and repair of the bell was a challenge and no small task even with modern machinery.
When Semmes Air Specialty Heating & Air learned of the bell’s endangerment, they came to the rescue with their expert know how. Crane Works was called. The bell was safely removed and returned to the belfry by Crane Works after maintenance and repairs by Air Specialty.
Community Spirit is alive and well in Semmes. Thanks to Air Specialty and Crane Works the historic bell can once again ring!

Maintenance of roads 1800's

7/7/2020

The Mobile County Act No. 153 divided Mobile county into three revenue and road districts in 1888-89. These districts were then divided into precincts. The second district precincts were as follows:

Precinct 7- Albritton Precinct
Precinct 1-Citronelle Precinct
Precinct 2-Mount Vernon Precinct
Precinct 5-Creola Precinct
Precinct 6- Mauvilla & Chunchula Precinct
Precinct 8- Carver’s Precinct
Precinct 20-Steeley’s Store Precinct

County roads and bridge were maintenance from one point to another with different individuals responsible for each section. These individuals were paid by the county and lived close to the section they were responsible for. Work was completed by hand and horse- drawn equipment.

Bond of Eli Moffett to keep a public toll bridge over Dog River (1844 Probate record) Historical File 15 pg. 180
Payment to Ferdinand E. Cooper - for work on Moffett Road from Wheelers Ville to Big Creek (1844) Historical File 4 pg. 672
Benjamin Howell was a overseer of the roads from Little Creek to Wheelers Ville File 4 pg. 610 (no date/late 1800’s)
Wm Bakes- Wheelers Ville to Big Creek
ED Bullvilz- Spring Hill to Wheelers Ville
Jackson Rester from Big Creek to County Line
Merons Williams- from Little Creek to County Line
Appointed to Beat No 2-Edward Lewis, Senineon Wheeler, James Goff

Tidbits of History

6/11/2020

Early settler’s names were used to identify roads and places. To name a few, Wulff Rd., McCrary Rd., Snow Rd., Howells Ferry Rd. (there was a ferry to cross Big Creek), Moffett Rd., Lott Rd., Allentown are some of the pioneer family names.
Wulff Rd was named for Jim Wulff who had come from Denmark in 1864 and died in 1933. Tom Dodd, Jr. said “Jim was very active in church and could quickly settle down an argument when needed. The community sat up the entire night at the Wulff home for his wake."
Howells Ferry Road is named for the Benjamin Howell Family and the ferry that was used to cross Big Creek. According to Helen Waltman Caldwell the great- great granddaughter of Benjamin Howell, in 1605 three Howell brothers came from England to Long Island carrying gold bullion. Benjamin Frank Howell came to Albritton Precinct before you could homestead and purchased land for 50 cents an acre.
Before there were towns it was necessary to establish designated places in order to conduct the business of the government, census counting, voting, and mail delivery. Census records indicate that before the town of Semmes was established it was a community in the Albritton Precinct.
Pauline Dodd, the first historian of Semmes, reported that her grandfather received his mail at the 15 mile post on Moffett Rd (AL42) which became US. Hwy 98. In 1789 Congress was given the power to establish Post offices and post roads. A line of posts was set up along a designated road that became a post road. Dependable deputies on horseback were appointed to carry the mail which was deposited at different mile posts.
The McCrary family was an early pioneer family that settled in the Albritton Precinct. They had a “stopover house” which was defined as a place to rest on ones journey. People traveling to and from Mississippi and Mobile would stop at the McCrary’s home.
According to Helen Waltman Caldwell, the great, great granddaughter of Benjamin Howell there was a trail that the Indians used to go to Mobile down to the sea once a year to harvest salt. The trail ran beside Allentown Cemetery. The salty water was boiled until all the water had evaporated and all that was left was salt. Pots were borrowed from the early settlers near the trail with the agreement to return the pots and a portion of salt. Helen said the salt looked brown and dirty. On the way back from one of these trips, one old Indian took sick and died. He is the first person that was buried in Allentown Cemetery.
Benjamin Howell believed in education for all his children. His children boarded in Mobile and graduated from High School at Barton Academy. His son, Thomas Jefferson Howell gave the land to build the 1902 Semmes School. It is interesting to note that when Thomas gave the land to build a school and church the deed specifies that a school should always remain on the property or the property would revert back to the Howell Family.
Eight men from Illinois hearing of the wonderful riches in Alabama, looking to make a fortune quickly, formed the Semmes Land Company. They came to Albritton Precinct, purchasing land fifteen miles northwest of Mobile and laid out the town of Semmes in November 1900. They named the town Semmes after Admiral Raphael Semmes.

Education in Semmes today!

5/18/2020

Schools are a reflection of the growth of the population of Semmes and its surrounding areas.
Schools in Semmes today with attendance are listed below:

Mary G. Montgomery High School /MGM High School -2,096 Students
Semmes Middle School-1,500 students
Semmes Elementary-569 students
Allentown Elementary-825 students

Elementary Schools not in Semmes that attend Semmes Middle School and MGM High School :

J E. Turner Elementary- 510 students
Wilmer Elementary-614 students

MGM offers Academies of study and training in the following special fields:

Academy of Biomedical Sciences-Signature Academy

Academy of Agricultural and Mechanical Science
Academy of Business Leadership
Academy of Engineering and Computer Science
Academy of Liberal and Fine Arts
Academy of Faulkner Career Technical Center

MGM Electric Car and Robotics Displayed at Semmes Heritage Day!

Video-Mary Montgomery High School is Well Known is on the Mary G. Montgomery High School website.

Semmes Heritage Park videos are on Semmes Heritage Park Vimeo

ALabama Commendation award

4/30/2020

GREAT NEWS!
April 22, 2020
Semmes Heritage Park is pleased to announce that Semmes Heritage Day has been honored by the Alabama Bicentennial Commission with an Alabama Bicentennial Legacy [award/commendation].
The honor recognizes outstanding projects by communities and organizations that were part of the commemoration of the statehood anniversary. Semmes Heritage is a celebration of Semmes History, remembering our past as we look to the future.
“Communities invested time and resources in an amazing range of projects,” noted Alabama Bicentennial Commission chairman Sen. Arthur Orr. “Our successful bicentennial celebration owes a real debt to their efforts, especially for projects that will be important to the state, its communities and its citizens for a long time to come.”
Awards were given in two categories: commendations for outstanding bicentennial programs and projects and legacy awards for projects of exceptional and lasting impact. Forty-one commendations and 21 legacy awards were given, representing more than 40 municipalities in 35 counties.
Projects ranged from celebration events to city murals to preservation and restoration of sites and structures. Many projects were locally focused while some were regional or even statewide. Many are especially notable for their long-term relevance and impact.
The awards represented every region of the state and ranged from small towns to major metros, including Birmingham, Montgomery and Huntsville.
Each winning project will receive a bronze plaque noting the name of the project and its award. The plaques will be a public reminder of the achievements of Alabama communities during the bicentennial commemoration.
For more information on the plaque and plans for a dedication in the fall contact Jeanette Byrd, jlbyrd_3@att.net. For more information about the Alabama Bicentennial Legacy Awards and the bicentennial commemoration, visit www.ALABAMA200.org or call 334-242-4537.

Semmes Heritage Park First Schoolmarm

4/24/2020

Mildred Wiggins was a native of Semmes. Her parents were Henry Hiram Pollard and Lena Van Christopher who were married in 1918 and settled in Semmes in 1918. Mildred had six sisters and six brothers. Most of the descendants of the Pollard family still live in Semmes today.

Mildred taught at Semmes School until her retirement, was a founding member of Alumni & Friends of Semmes School, Inc. and the first schoolmarm after the restoration of the little schoolhouse. She prepared lessons for students and served in this position until her death on December 3, 2003.
The vision of the founding members of restoring the one room school and for it to continue to be used as a school goes on today. Children on Field trips experience School 1902 style with lessons in reading writing and arithmetic.